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Rush Week not only marks the days for the Greek organizations on campus to meet and get to know interested students, but it is also the week where new students have the chance to see where they fit in on campus.

During Rush Week, the organizations have different Greek life activities taking place throughout the week. On Tues., Sept. 20, local Greek organizations held Preference Parties, better known as “Pref Parties,” in Goolsby Lecture Hall. Preference Parties are an opportunity for students interested in Greek Life to sit down and learn more about each sorority or fraternity. The Pref Parties held staggered meeting times throughout Tuesday night, so that students interested in more than one organization could attend each presentation.

When questioned about the reasoning behind wanting to join a sorority, one interested student explained she “want[s] to make new friends outside [her] group.”

At these interest parties, the interested students were able to talk to the sorority and fraternity members and learn about what each organization has to offer.

Greek organizations share common bonds but also have qualities that are unique to each fraternity or sorority. When asked about being in a sorority, senior Jenni Mathis, a member of local sorority Alpha Iota, said, “we are a random group of girls who fit together. We’re not cookie cutter. We’re all different.”

Greek life is not just about having fun. Before any student can rush a sorority or fraternity, they must have completed 12 credit hours at Young Harris College and have a GPA of at least 2.0 to be considered eligible to rush.

Sigma Gamma Rho, a national sorority interested in coming to the Young Harris College campus, gave an open presentation to all interested females on Mon., Sept. 12, at 6:30 p.m. in Goolsby Center for Humanities.

The meeting was attended by seven females. All of the attendants said they will be attending meetings for other sororities as well.

The sorority representative began the presentation by doing a traditional step that all members of Sigma Gamma Rho are required to know after they join the sorority. She then went on to tell the history of Sigma Gamma Rho, the facts about the sorority and what the organization stands for.

Sigma Gamma Rho was founded in 1922 by seven teachers. Since then, the sorority has gone on to have more than 500 chapters and 95,000 plus members. The slogan of Gamma Sigma Rho is “Greater Service, Greater Progress.” Their motto is “sisterhood, scholarship, service.”

The sorority places great emphasis on community service. The organization is involved with multiple community service projects throughout the year. Some of the projects include “Operation Book Bag,” where the sorority takes up donations of school supplies for children in need, and “Project Wee Savers,” which collects baby supplies which are distributed to needy infants.

The sorority mascot is the poodle. The flower of the organization is the yellow tea rose. The colors are royal blue and antique gold.

Sigma Gamma Rho membership is by invitation only. If a student were to receive an invite, she would go through an interview process. If both parties are still interested after the interview, the student would begin the process of joining the sorority.

The organization has a minimum GPA requirement for all of the members. All members have to maintain a 2.5 GPA average or higher. If a member’s GPA were to drop lower, she would be suspended.